Powhatan Historic State Park to host October Activities
(POWHATAN, Ark.) – Powhatan Historic State Park will host a Bookbinding Workshop on Saturday, October 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join park staff and learn how books are made by hand. Participants will explore the rich history of books and how they influenced Arkansas History while learning the skills to make their own. Participants will leave with their own hand-made journal. Space is limited and registration is required. Registration fee is $25. To register for the workshop, please call the park at 870-878-6765.
Powhatan Historic State Park will host a Great Arkansas Cleanup Day Saturday October 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each year the Great Arkansas Cleanup welcomes participants to join park staff in keeping the Natural State as beautiful as possible. Sign up your family, friends, school group, scout troop, or business to team up with park staff to Keep Arkansas Beautiful!
Powhatan Historic State Park will host “Ghost Walks” tours Friday October 18 and Saturday October 19 at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. each night. Park interpreters will take guests on guided tours, highlighting the many ghost stories, folk tales, and legends about the park in its 200-year history. The cost for the guided tour is $6 + tax per adult and $4 + tax per person for children ages 12 and under. Space is limited; registration is required.
For questions about his or other upcoming events at Powhatan Historic State Park, give us a call or email Park Interpreter Zachary Elledge at Zachary.elledge@arkansas.gov.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.